INDIANAPOLIS IN – Pennsylvania lags only slightly behind national statistics for the number of working-age adults who have earned college degrees or other professional certifications after high school, figures recently released by the Indiana-based Lumina Foundation indicate.
The foundation in part tracks post-secondary attainment of “college degrees, certificates, certifications, and other quality credentials” of education. Its goal is to have 60% of working-age adults earning some kind of post-high school educational credentials by 2025. Currently, 53.6% of Pennsylvania residents qualify; the nationwide figure is 54.3%.
Lumina opened in 2000, and the national figure has “moved from 38.1% when we began, to 54.3%,” according to Courtney Brown, its vice president of strategic impact and planning. “That represents a 16-percentage point increase in just 14 years. And that’s, you know, a collective commitment and dedication to education from partners all across the country.”
During 2023, 42 states as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico saw increases in degree attainment. Last year’s rise in 19 states, including Pennsylvania, was more than 1%, Brown noted. Research shows the nation is making steady progress toward the foundation goal, she added, which ultimately benefits its citizens and economy.
Over time, Brown acknowledged, the foundation has expanded what counts toward post-high school educational attainment. Earning a college degree isn’t for everyone, and other career education paths exist. As a result it added workforce certificates in 2014, and industry certifications in 2018.
“Some of the increase over the last 14 years, that 16 percentage points, some of that is attributed to finding a way to measure and then add high-quality short-term credentials,” Brown emphasized. “But a substantial portion, about 8.5 percentage points, is a rise in the attainment of bachelor and associate degrees.”
Locally, Lumina reported degree attainment varies among Montgomery, Berks, and Chester county residents. Its statistical model illustrates the rate of associate degree or higher college education during 2022, but excludes short-term credentials not tracked by all counties. At that time:
- Montgomery County was home to 448,000 people age 25-64, of which 62.8% attained a degree;
- Berks County, with 217,000 people age 25-64, showed an attainment rate of 38.5%; and
- Chester County, with 276,000 people age 25-64, boasted a state-highest degree attainment of 66.1%.
Additionally foundation research shows more can be done to close equity gaps in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Lumina said it focuses on people who are Black, Hispanic and Latino, and Native American; those from low-income families; those first in their families to participate in education or training after high school; and working-age adults. Its statistics show more than 50% of white Pennsylvanians have college degrees, compared to more than 32% of Black residents, and almost 30% of Hispanic residents.
Editor’s Note: This article was adapted by Travels With The Post from original reporting by Danielle Smith, published Feb. 12 by Public News Service.
Photo by Artur Verkhovetskiy on Deposit Photos, used under license
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